1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical system for performing a desired surgical procedure on a patient with at least manipulators and an internal image capturing means.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a laparoscopic surgical operation process, small holes are opened in the abdominal region, for example, of a patient, and an endoscope, e.g., a hard mirror, and manipulators or forceps, are inserted into such holes. The surgeon performs a surgical operation on the patient with the manipulators or forceps, while watching an image captured by the endoscope and displayed on a display monitor. Since the laparoscopic surgical operation process does not require a laparotomy to be performed, and the operation is less burdensome on the patient and greatly reduces the number of days required for the patient to spend in the hospital before recovering from the operation and being released from the hospital. Therefore, the range of surgical operations in which the endoscopic surgical operation process may be applied is expected to increase.
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-102248 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-061969, a manipulator system comprises a manipulator and a controller for controlling the manipulator. The manipulator comprises an operating unit which is manually operated, and a working unit replaceably mounted on the operating unit.
The working unit comprises a long joint shaft and a distal-end working unit (also referred to as an “end effector”) mounted on the distal end of the joint shaft. The operating unit has motors for actuating the working unit through wires. The wires have proximal end portions wound around respective pulleys. The controller energizes the motors of the operating unit to cause the pulleys to move the wires circulatively.
There has also been proposed a surgical system (medical robot system) for actuating medical manipulators with robot arms (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,181). The medical robot system can be remotely controlled by a master arm, and can be moved in various ways under a programmed control.
The medical robot system has the robot arms, which can selectively be used depending on the surgical technique required. One of the robot arms incorporates an endoscope therein for capturing an image representing the inside of a body cavity, which is capable of being visually confirmed on a display monitor.
In order for the surgeons to decide on treatments properly and quickly in laparoscopic surgical operation processes, it is desirable that the surgeons should be able to see internal images obtained by an internal image capturing means such as an endoscope, images of the operating states of the manipulators, and diagnostic images captured by various diagnostic devices.
In the operating room, the surgical operation on a patient is attended by a plurality of people including not only the surgeons who actually operate on the patient, but also nurses and operators and technicians who handle various devices and instruments. During the surgery, it is desirable for those staff members to be able to move freely out of physical interference with the devices, instruments, and wires and cables, and also to be able to share up-to-date information about the surgical operation in progress.